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-------- Original Message --------
569
NOUS41 KWBC 021615
PNSWSH
Service Change Notice 11-14
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
1115 AM EST Wed Mar 2 2011
To: Subscribers:
- Family of Services
- NOAA Weather Wire Service
- Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
- NOAAPORT
- Other NWS Partners...Users and Employees.
From: Therese Z. Pierce
Chief, Marine and Coastal Services Branch
Subject: Implementing Improved Marine Zone
Coverage for the Florida Keys
Coastal Waters: Effective July 7, 2011
Effective Thursday July 7, 2011, at 200 PM EDT or 1800
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) the NWS Weather Forecast Office
(WFO) in Key West, FL, will reconfigure its current coastal
waters zones for the Florida Keys. This reconfiguration will
provide better forecast services by realigning the coastal zones
for climatological, geographical and bathymetric effects.
This change will provide enhanced forecasts for Hawk Channel,
the smaller zones between Key West and the Dry Tortugas, more
consistency with bathymetry across Florida Bay and Gulf zones,
and remove the zone boundaries near Key West Harbor.
All current zones will be realigned, except GMZ072 (Straits of
Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key 20 to 60 nm out) and GMZ073
(Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile
Bridge 20 to 60 nm out). Four additional new zones will be
added.
Table 1 lists all the products issued by WFO Key West that will
be affected by the marine zone changes.
Table 2 lists all the current marine zones and universal
Geographic codes UGCs for WFO Key West.
Table 3 lists all the marine zones and UGCs for which WFO Key
West will issue forecasts and warnings effective July 7, 2011.
Table 1: WFO Key West products affected by the marine zone
changes effective July 7 2011.
PRODUCT NAME WMO HEADING AWIPS ID
COASTAL WATERS FORECAST FZUS52 KKEY CWFKEY
MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE WHUS72 KKEY MWWKEY
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING WHUS52 KKEY SMWKEY
MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT FZUS72 KKEY MWSKEY
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WTUS82 KKEY HLSKEY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FLUS42 KKEY HWOKEY
WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION WWUS62 KKEY WCNKEY
SHORT TERM FORECAST FPUS72 KKEY NOWKEY
Table 2: Current marine zones and corresponding Universal
Geographic Codes (UGC) for WFO Key West.
CURRENT MARINE ZONE NAME UGC
Florida Bay GMZ031
Gulf side of the lower Keys out 20 nm GMZ032
Gulf waters from East Cape Sable to Chokoloskee GMZ033
20 to 60 nm
Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 nm GMZ052
Craig Key to the west end of the Seven Mile GMZ053
Bridge out 20 nm
West end of the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West GMZ054
out 20 nm
Ocean Reef to Craig Key 20 to 60 nm out GMZ072
Craig Key to the west end of the Seven Mile GMZ073
Bridge 20 to 60 nm out
West end of the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West GMZ074
20 to 60 nm out
Key West to 20 nm west of Dry Tortugas out 60 nm GMZ075
Table 3: Marine zones and corresponding UGCs for which WFO Key
West will issue forecasts and warnings effective July 7, 2011.
MARINE ZONE NAME UGC
Florida Bay including Blackwater and GMZ031
Buttonwood Sounds
Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to GMZ032
Halfmoon Shoal out to 5 fathoms
Gulf waters from East Cape Sable to GMZ033
Chokoloskee 20 to 60 nm out and beyond 5
fathoms
Gulf of Mexico including Dry Tortugas and GMZ034
Rebecca Shoal Channel
Hawk Channel from Ocean Reef to Craig Key GMZ042
out to the reef
Hawk Channel from Craig Key to west end of GMZ043
Seven Mile Bridge out to the reef
Hawk Channel from west end of Seven Mile GMZ044
Bridge to Halfmoon Shoal out to the reef
Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to GMZ052
Craig Key out 20 nm
Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west GMZ053
end of Seven Mile Bridge out 20 nm
Straits of Florida from west end of Seven GMZ054
Mile Bridge to south of Halfmoon Shoal out
20 nm
Straits of Florida from Halfmoon Shoal to GMZ055
20 nm west of Dry Tortugas out 20 nm
Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig GMZ072
Key 20 to 60 nm out
Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west GMZ073
end of Seven Mile Bridge 20 to 60 nm out
Straits of Florida from west end of Seven GMZ074
Mile Bridge to south of Halfmoon Shoal
20 to 60 nm out
Straits of Florida from Halfmoon Shoal to GMZ075
20 nm west of Dry Tortugas 20 to 60 nm out
Customers must reprogram affected hardware and software to
continue processing the products in Table 1.
An updated zone map shapefile containing the new boundaries
for these marine zones is available for download from the
following website:
www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/marinezones.htm
A map showing the existing and additional marine zones that will
be effective July 7, 2011 is posted on the WFO
Key West page at:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/?n=marinezone
For questions about these changes, please contact:
Kennard "Chip" Kasper Melinda Bailey
Marine Focal Point Public/Marine Meteorologist
National Weather Service National Weather Service
WFO Key West Southern Region Headquarters
1315 White Street 819 Taylor St. Rm 10a11
Key West FL 33040 Fort Worth TX 76102
305-295-1316 817-978-1100 X107
Kennard.Kasper@xxxxxxxx Melinda.Bailey@xxxxxxxx
NWS Service Change Notices are online at:
http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm
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